How to Cure Entrepreneurial Insomnia

Posted on July 4, 2008 | Filed Under Motivation, Productivity

Do you ever get so excited about the opportunities and
ideas that exist in the business world that you can’t get a
good night’s sleep? If you’re an entrepreneur, chances are
you’ve had these types of sleepless nights.

Sometimes I’ll actually BE in bed, tossing and turning,
and finally just give up, turn on the light, and get back
on the ‘Net. Seems logical right? Well this type of
behavior can be detrimental to both your mental and
physical health.
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The Secret To My Success

Posted on May 29, 2008 | Filed Under Business Management, Motivation, Productivity

By Michel Fortin

Now that I’m back from my honeymoon, my inbox and forum have been floodingly busy! In fact, one thread on my Copywriters Board garnered so much interest that it created close to 10 pages worth of posts.

It’s a member’s take on “Michel Fortin’s Success Secret.”

Dale King, the author in question, postulated that in every post and article I write, there’s a “secret” to my success. Although he hinted that the secret can be found in the book “Think and Grow Rich,” the reason why the thread became so popular was because Dale never revealed it until the very end.

It’s a great example of the Zeigarnik effect and keeping people interested in your copy. It was so powerful that some people became outright pissed off at Dale’s reluctance in revealing “the secret” and posted harsh comments as a result.

In order to assuage the disgruntled, here’s what I said. The secret is…

… Not in the knowing but in the application.

It’s in the “being.”

You see, I don’t know the secret either.

If I were to venture a guess on what the secret is, I’ll be completely off-base I’m sure. And what I think the secret is may be completely different than what Dale proposed.

But that’s all unimportant. Dale may have found something important — something important to him. And he’s trying to share it with us in his own way. And that is what’s important.

He is not trying to be disingenuous. He simply wants us to think. And what Dale is teaching us, whether he realizes it or not, is just important as his so-called “secret.”

You see, recognizing the lesson is one thing. Learning from the lesson is a step beyond that. But applying the lesson is more important than all the gold in the world. (For me, anyway.)

It’s in the application. Not in the knowing. In the experience. Not the knowledge.

How many times are we taught “secrets,” whether we recognize them as such or not, but don’t do anything about them?

For example, how many times a smoker is told to quit smoking, and is told over and over that smoking is bad, but never quits? Apparently, they know it’s bad. They know the secret. But they don’t “get it.” Why? Because they don’t appreciate it. They are not passionate about it. They are not ready for it.

I know, for me in my early career, this was true. I listened to all the motivational tapes, read all the books and attended all the seminars. I was practicing all the steps they taught. I was writing down goals, visualizing prosperity and doing affirmations. But…

… Nothing happened.

Until I learned that, as Lao-Tsu once said, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear,” I applied the lesson only when I was truly ready for it. And “teacher” here could be a person, an event, or a “secret.”

So for me, Dale and many others who tried to guess are nevertheless right in their own way: all of their suggestions are important, regardless â?? whether you call them “secrets” or not. And whatever the secret is (I prefer to call “lesson”) is whatever you pull from this.

That is, it’s what it means to you.

I’m so thankful for what Dale and others have said here. You guys have taught me, and always are teaching me, so much in your own way. Thank you so such and amazing thread.

But in an attempt to “throw a dog a bone,” let me take a stab at this. (And Dale, you can correct me or not.)

Here’s my take.

(I’m going to be a little philosophical for a moment, if you allow me. I just returned from a wonderful honeymoon with my new bride, and have so much to be thankful for. So I may be a little biased, I guess (or is that a little “blessed?”), in my answer here. So bear with me.)

My life started to turn around when I started to attract what I wanted. Because the secret, to me, is having an abundance mentality.

It’s not something you seek and find, either. You do it because it’s natural to you. It’s automatic and almost if not completely unconscious. And to get to that level, it’s not about knowing but about being.

It wasn’t like that in the beginning. I used to “think and grow rich,” but out of a scarcity mindset. I then understood that it’s not “think and grow rich.” It’s “think rich and grow rich.” There is a difference.

I’ll explain what I mean in a moment.

My “secret” or my lesson is, stated differently, the law of attraction.

My favorite quote is from Descartes: “Cogito Ergo Sum.” (I think, therefore I am.) In other words, whatever you think will come true. (That is, whatever you feel, believe in, focus on and are passionate about, will come about.)

Thinking alone is not the point. I mean, if you think you’re a fly, do you become a fly? Of course not. It’s in the how, not the what.

If you focus on what you lack, you will attract more lack. If you focus on what you want, what you want will come true, too.

The paradox here is that they are both the same. You can lack money and want money, too. The difference is not what you think about. It’s how you think about it. It’s “I wish I had more money to pay all these bills and get out of debt,” versus “I’m thankful that I’m blessed with so much abundance and the certainty that more will come my way.”

Let me say it another way.

When I say “focus on what you want,” do I mean money? (Or any other material possession?) Not really. If you focus on what money means to you, you will attract money in your life, even though money may not be the main desire.

It’s how you feel about money.

And again, this is not just related to money. It can be the same about success, love, peace, health, and of course, prosperity.

When your thinking starts shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, miracles will start to happen in your life. (They did in mine.)

And again, I didn’t say “when you start thinking.” I said, “when your thinking starts shifting.” There is a difference. One is deliberate, intentional and “forced.” The other is natural, automatic and unconscious.

So how do you get an “automated” prosperity consciousness?

Here are my three steps.

1. Give.

The act of giving creates a vacuum. The more you give the more you open yourself up to receive… and will do so. But remember, you cannot give what you don’t have. So it often starts with you and loving yourself.

Thinking and accepting that you deserve wealth, health and happiness is the seed of an abundance mentality. And the sheer act of giving becomes an almost natural byproduct.

Don’t give with the expectation of getting something in return. Why? Because, indirectly, you are still thinking on what you lack. It’s scarcity consciousness. Giving with the expectancy of a return is just as worse as hoarding and blocking nature’s vacuum.

Give because giving is fun. Give with the awareness that there’s plenty to go around. Give because you want to — not because you have to.

“We are what we think. As sure the cart follows the ox, think pure thoughts and goodness will come about.”
— The Buddha

2. Thank.

Be appreciative and thankful for what you have. Because gratitude helps you focus on what you have, so you can attract more of it. (And consequently, it forces you NOT to think of what you don’t have, and attracting more lack in your life.)

Be thankful for all the blessings you now enjoy. Even the little things. And yes, even the “bad things.” In other words, in every challenge or adversity, be thankful for the lesson it gives you.

This is probably the biggest hurdle. I, myself, am still working on this. But I do know that, once you see every problem as a lesson, and every person as a teacher, you are shifting your mindset from scarcity to prosperity.

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.”
— Marcus Tullius Cicero

And finally…

3. Forgive.

Forgiveness is the most powerful act of an abundance mindset, and probably the most challenging one for most people. Forgiveness is about letting go. I’m sure you’ve heard of that. But I say forgiveness is also about letting “in.”

An abundance mentality comes about only when you’ve cleared your mind of negativity. Since nature abhors a vacuum, if you’re filled with negativity, there’s no space for positivity. A mind cluttered with hate, indignation and resentment is a clogged one.

Peace of mind should be your ultimate goal in everything you think or do.

When I started letting go and letting in, that’s when I started to see the lessons in all things. I stopped blaming other people or circumstances. (When you do blame, you are still getting your mind to focus on the very things you don’t want, and therefore attracting those things.)

There’s a lot of power in humility. But don’t be humble for humility’s sake. Be humble because you are humble. Look at it this way: You don’t attract what you think. You attract what you are. Because what you are will dictate what you think.

Hence, that’s why I said it’s not “think and grow rich.” It’s “think rich (thoughts) and you will grow rich.” Or put another way, “Be and grow rich,” as in be giving, thankful and forgiving, and your thoughts will shift as a byproduct. And as you think, so shall you be.

“Circumstances do not make the man; they only reveal him (to himself).”
— James Allen in “As a Man Thinketh”

If you want a good lesson on everything I just told you, check The Secret. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Take it with a grain of salt if you will, but like all copy, don’t discount it until you’ve tested it.

Thank you for listening.

— About the Author —
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, marketing strategy consultant, and instrumental in some of the most lucrative online businesses and wildly successful marketing campaigns to ever hit the web. For more articles like this one, please visit his blog at http://www.michelfortin.com/ and subscribe to his RSS feed.
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The Myth of ‘Marketer’s Entitlement’

Posted on April 20, 2008 | Filed Under Business Management, Motivation, Productivity

One of the most important marketing lessons I’ve learned
recently came from Eben Pagan, founder of Double Your
Dating (dating advice for men), and the Altitude Program
(marketing and business coaching).

Since he created a 20 million dollar a year corporation in
less than 6 years, I take his advice pretty seriously.

The lesson I wanted to share with you has to do with the
interesting human quirk known as entitlement.

They may not say it aloud, but through their actions and
habits you can tell that they feel entitled to wealth,
success, and happiness. They think it’s “not fair” if
hardships, the economy, or any other obstacle pops up to
take what’s rightfully theirs.

People naturally want to believe that there is a gigantic
scoreboard in the sky that will balance the justices with
the injustices. That there is a celestial, or Infinite
Justice System at work.
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Copywriting Productivity Tools

Posted on March 24, 2008 | Filed Under Blogging, Copywriting, Productivity

By Michel Fortin

When I write copy, some tools help me tremendously. Whether it’s the copy itself, or interactions with my clients, there are certain websites I use that help make it a lot easier for me.

There are quite a few pieces of software, so let me just stick with the web-based ones. How about posting yours? What are some of the tools you use in your work to improve your productivity?

Here are some of mine…
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How I Earned My Freedom and Quit My Job

Posted on March 4, 2008 | Filed Under Business Management, Online Marketing, Productivity, Revenue Generation

Recently my online business has started making enough money to
enable me to leave my job and strike out entirely on my own. I have
had to work hard to be able to get to this point, but I attribute my
ability to leave my job to the 3 things below (they’re things you can
do too):

1. Low expense
lifestyle. My family has moved and managed to reduce our expenses and
rent to zero. Insurance, groceries and petrol are now our biggest
expenses. Try to tackle the expenses with a once off downside in
exchange for an ongoing upside. Avoid cutting expense where they
require the opposite.

2. Give yourself time. I’ve
had to spend a few hours each day working on the business in order to
get to this point. This meant I had to reprioritize a few things. Easy
to eliminate things like TV and sleeping in were out. Just those 2
things enabled me to gain the skills I needed to start earning a basic
level of income before ever taking the risk of going out on my own.

3. Have a backup plan in place. I made sure I
didn’t burn any bridges and did my work until the very last day of my
job, just to make sure I’m welcome back. My backup plan is very
simple. Go back to my former employer and contract with them for 3-6
months. The money I make during that time is enough to tide me over
for an entire year. Find something you could do in order to make ends
meet if things don’t go as well as you hope. Keep it close to you to
give yourself the courage to strike out on your own.

Those are the 3 things I did in order to build
my skills and reduce my fears to the point where I confidently struck
out on my own. They are really easy to do but they may be emotionally
difficult, especially if you are addicted to TV or really tied to a
certain area. If striking out on your own is your number 1 priority,
doing the 3 things above will speed you on your way.

Learn how to start and build your own successful &
highly profitable Internet Business in 45 days… 100% Guaranteed! I’m
Steven Lohrenz and I can recommend the intern program. href="http://www.onlinebusinessabc.com">Earn Money Online

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